Ryan Jacobs to Serve as Indigenous Trustee for Upper Canada District School Board

Posted on 09/12/2017

The Upper Canada District School Board
is pleased to announce that an accredited teacher and community leader from the
Akwesasne Territory will serve as Indigenous Trustee with the Upper Canada
District School Board.

Ryan Jacobs,
a sitting member of the Mohawk Council, will be sworn in on September 13 at the
first School Board meeting of the new school year. He will replace former
Indigenous Trustee Peter Garrow, who retired on August 31st after
more than a decade of dedicated service on the Board of Trustees.

The
36-year-old community leader serves in the education portfolio with the
Council, acting as a liaison with the Director of the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board
of Education (AMBE) to ensure the education system best serves the needs of
students in the Territory. Trustee Jacobs is one of 13 chiefs on the Mohawk
Council.

Jacobs says
he looks forward to his new role.

“I think
it’s a great opportunity to work with the outside communities,” he said on
Thursday. “The more I can learn about how everything works in the outside
territories, in addition to the knowledge I already have from serving the AMBE,
it will benefit the community where I come from. I hope to ensure we get more
services and equivalent services. I think that in building those bridges we can
all work together.”

Trustee Jacobs
is a graduate of the School of Education and Professional Studies at the State
University of New York Potsdam. He served as a teacher in academic support for
students in AMBE, and also worked for the Massena Central School District.
Despite a busy schedule, Jacobs also finds time to organize a softball league
in the Territory and coaches minor lacrosse.

“We are very
much looking forward to working with Trustee Jacobs in the important role our
Board has in educating Indigenous students within our District,” said Chair
Jeff McMillan. “As an educator and member of the Mohawk Council, Trustee Jacobs
will bring a unique and qualified perspective to the role.”